News

Ian Gelder, the British actor who played Kevan Lannister on HBO’s Game of Thrones and the villain Zellin on Doctor Who, has died. He was 74.

“It is with huge huge sadness and a heavy heart broken into a million pieces that I’m leaving this post to announce the passing of my darling husband and life partner Ian Gelder,” the actor Ben Daniels announced on Instagram. Daniels revealed that Gelder had been diagnosed with bile duct cancer five months ago and that “neither of us had any idea that it would all be so fast.”

“He was my absolute rock and we’d been partners for more than 30 years. If we weren’t together we spoke to each other everyday,” Daniels wrote. “He was the kindest, most generous spirited and loving human being. He was a wonderful wonderful actor, and everyone who worked with him was touched by his heart and light.

It’s hard to believe that season 9 of “The Masked Singer” has seen the departure of eight celebrities already. The most recent exits were Squirrel, who was revealed to be actress Malin Akerman, and Jackalope, who turned out to be social media sensation Lele Pons. The latter lost the Battle Royale to Fairy on March 15.

We’ve watched Fairy’s winning performance of “On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons again as well as her first time at the mike when she nailed a cover of the Linda Ronstadt classic “You’re No Good.” And we’ve taken another look at her clues package. We think we’ve cracked the code as to Fairy’s true identity. Keep reading as we have all your “The Masked Singer” spoilers, including the answer to the question, “Who is Fairy?”

We think that the Fairy is Holly Robinson Peete, an actress best...

EastEnders actor Anna Karen is said to have leftt the majority of her fortune to one of her co-stars.

The actor, who also appeared in sitcom On the Buses, died in a house fire in February 2022, aged 85.

It’s now been reported by the Mail that Karen left 65 per cent of her estate to Sophie Lawrence, who played Diane Butcher in the BBC soap.

Lawrence first appeared in the soap from 1988 to 1991, but has returned numerous times over the years. Her most recent appearance was in 2012. Karen played Aunt Sal in the series.

Karen and Lawrence remained friends, with the pair also starring together in comedy show Bazaar & Rummage, which is based on the Sue Townsend book.

Elsewhere, the documents reveal Karen split the remainder of her fortune to her stepdaufghter, Gloria Gill, two friends and the Actors’ Benevolent Fund.

As well as On the Buses and EastEnders, Karen’s...

Julia Kogan victorious in retrial against her former partner and credited screenwriter Nicholas Martin.

Opera singer Julia Kogan has won a court battle over the authorship of Florence Foster Jenkins and will now receive a co-writing credit on the 2016 film.

Nicholas Martin previously claimed sole credit on the Stephen Frears comedy-drama, starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, and won a copyright dispute against Kogan – his ex-girlfriend – over its writing in 2017.

But a retrial at the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (Ipec) has today ruled that Kogan was a joint author of the screenplay for the film, which took more than $49m...

Marcus D’Amico, the actor who played the character of Mouse in the original “Tales of the City” miniseries, has died. He was 55.

D’Amico died Dec. 16 of pneumonia at his home in Oxfordshire, England, his sister, Melissa D’Amico, told Queerty.

D’Amico was known for his role as the genial Michael “Mouse” Tolliver from the groundbreaking 1993 miniseries that premiered in the U.K. on Channel 4 and aired in the U.S. on PBS. The series was an adaptation of Armistead Maupin’s novels about colorful characters in San Francisco’s LGBT community.

D’Amico was also known for his role as Hand Job in Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 military drama “Full Metal Jacket.”

In “Tales of the City,” the Mouse character becomes best friends with Mary Ann Singleton, played by Laura Linney, the wide-eyed young woman who moves to San Francisco from the Midwest. “Tales of the City” and the...

Christmas is where you find it. Sometimes you find it in Canley Borough Operational Unit Command, Sun Hill. It’s a rough joint where the hours are long and life is short. It’s where the cops play hardball, the dames play hard to get, and the dame-cops do both, in sensible shoes.

Over its 27-year history, British police procedural The Bill aired 2,425 episodes, just five of which were Christmas specials. They represent 0.0020% of the total output, and 100% of the episodes where Reg Hollis plays the back end of a pantomime cow. That makes each one a rare truffle for this little piggy to sniff out and stack in order of greatness. Let’s get sniffing.

5. Twanky (1997)

The plot: PC Polly Page is having a mare directing the annual Sun Hill Christmas panto: Aladdin, from a script by Tosh. The scenery keeps falling down. Widow Twanky loses his voice. Reg...

David Tennant’s transformation into serial killer Dennis Nilsen for ITV’s Des was unsettlingly convincing. It wasn’t just the physical resemblance, though under that hairstyle and behind those 1980s glasses frames, the similarity was remarkable. It was also the posture, the unwavering eye contact, and the voice; mumbling and unconcerned, listing the terrible details of Nilsen’s crimes as if reciting a recipe instead of multiple brutal murders.

As Nilsen, Tennant pulled off what every actor hopes to in a real-life role – a disappearing trick. He slid clean inside the role, leaving no trace of The Doctor, or Simon from There She Goes, or the demon Crowley, or Alec Hardy, or his funny, self-deprecating public persona. For those three hours on screen, he was nothing but Nilsen.

The role is one in a long line of on-screen psychopaths for Tennant. He might be best loved around these parts as excitable,...

The personal lives and careers of police officers often intersect and influence each other, and ultimately make the law enforcement officials ponder how they should conduct themselves. That’s certainly the case for the officers of the acclaimed British television series, ‘The Bill.’ The long-running police procedural, which originated from the drama, ‘Woodentop,’ focused on the […]

The post Aml Ameen Risks His Life to Save a Stranger on The Bill appeared first on Shockya.com.

Stars: Tony Fadil, Elliot Cable, Mark Wingett, Sonera Angel, Elliot Cable, Primrose Bigwood, Jimmy ‘The Bee’ Bennett, Kit Pascoe, Anastasia Cane | Written and Directed by Steven M. Smith

Sometimes, not always but sometimes, a movie falls on your lap at the exact right moment, a movie that you may not have given the time of day because let’s be honest, you just hadn’t heard of it or maybe there was no one on the credit list that grabbed you; maybe it’s a genre that you personally feel is tired, done to death but just won’t go away. However on a day like today, maybe your just a little bit intrigued, when you read comments such as “A new Shaun of Dead” or maybe you spot a guy on the poster that makes you think “Woah that guy was on The Bill” Or maybe you just have...

For those of us who grew up on a diet of The Bill, Eastenders and The Sweeney, taking modern British crime dramas seriously can be quite a challenge.

The same actors (Craig Fairbrass), delivering the same cliched lines in the same cockney accents (“You what? Getaaattt!”) , driving through Peckham in one shot, yet appearing in Islington in the next – if you know London, London dramas aren’t escapism, they’re unconvincing. And more often than not, they don’t quite deliver the hard knocks they promise.

Thankfully, Gangs of London, while not terribly original, has a bite that matches its bark. It’s a crime thriller that delivers a high quality production combined with a convincing cast and, crucially, a script that avoids the obvious while still somehow delivering the familiar.

The opening is certainly attention-catching. Sean Wallace (Joe Cole) is an emotional, young, suave gangster who we find hanging...

Fans of Sky Atlantic’s Save Me have waited two years to see more of the acclaimed London-set thriller created by and starring Lennie James. Six new episodes are almost upon us, with series two due to launch as a Sky boxset on Wednesday the 1st of April.

And according to James, that might not the the last of it.

“I don’t feel quite than I’m finished with these characters,” James told assembled press at an online Q&a held for the second series press launch. (The planned London screening event was moved online due to the global spread of Covid-19).

When asked if a third series, or more stories from the Save Me characters was a possibility, James answered “yes and yes.”

“I’m putting it all together, well trying to, in my head. In all honesty, I’m not quite there yet but yes, I do...

Run down pub? Check. Geezer who’s got himself in too deep? Check. Grizzled British actor formerly of Eastenders? Check. Crime lord who underestimates the anti-hero? Double check.

Despite ticking every box in the London gangster movie checklist, there’s a lot to like about director Philip Barantini‘s debut feature.

Barantini, formerly a bit-part actor with an enviable CV has learned enough on his travels to craft his own stylish feature, and it’s to his and co-writer/ star George Russo’s credit that Villain has more class than we have any right to expect.

Eddie is a career criminal who’s just finished a 10 year stretch at Hm’s pleasure. His sleazy little brother, Sean (Russo) has been looking after their pub while he’s inside, although dabbling in the coke dealing business was not a wise move – he’s now in deep Barney with Roy Garrett (Robert Glenister...

In today’s film news roundup, Stellan Skarsgard’s drama gets U.S. distribution, James DuMont gets cast, “Beautiful in the Morning” opens the La Femme International Film Festival and Sony sets up multi-lingual comedy “Este Dia.”

Acquisition

Magnolia Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to the drama “Out Stealing Horses,” starring Stellan Skarsgard and directed by Hans Petter Moland.

The film, based on Per Petterson’s award-winning novel, premiered in competition at the 2019 Berlinale and is Norway’s official Oscar entry for best international feature. Magnolia is planning a theatrical release for next year.

Skarsgard portrays a 67-year-old man who, after the death of his wife, retires to a desolate place in the east of Norway. As winter arrives he discovers he has a neighbor, a man he knew during the summer of 1948.

“Hans Petter Moland has delivered an incredibly well-shot and acted adaptation of a greatly loved novel,...

1979:The Edge of Night's Louise attacked Paige.

1980: Gh's Luke & Laura spent the night in Wyndham's.

1987: Bold and Beautiful's Thorne considered a career move.

1993: Oltl's Nora made closing arguments in Todd's case."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1928: Real Folks from Thompkins Corner, one of the earliest documented radio serials, premiered on NBC.

1968: On Another World, Liz Matthews (Audra Lindley) cried to Bill and Missy that they would have been happier if she had died of her heart attack.

1968: On Dark Shadows,...

Actor-director played parts in The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Absolute Beginners, EastEnders.

Graham Fletcher-Cook, the brother of Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher who had a small role in that film and acted in Eddie The Eagle and Sid And Nancy, has died. He was 55.

A spokesperson for the family confirmed Fletcher-Cook died of cancer on an undisclosed date a while ago. The London-born actor and director got his first taste of acting on a visit to the set of Bugsy Malone in 1976 arranged through The Anna Scher Theatre drama school.

After that he found work on a multitude of films such...

Huw Higginson.

Huw Higginson often plays admirable, upstanding characters but sometimes he gets more of a kick out of tackling villains.

In the past year the English-born actor has portrayed a brutish magistrate in Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale and a serial killer truck driver in Playmaker Media’s Mandarin series Chosen directed by Tony Tilse.

He played more nuanced characters including the abandoned husband and father of Miranda Tapsell’s bride-to-be in Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding; a lawyer who represents the family of a missing priest (Sam Reid) in Lingo Pictures/Foxtel’s drama Lambs of God; and a wealthy gentleman who sends his ward to boarding school in Fremantle/Foxtel’s Picnic at Hanging Rock.

“Unpleasant characters are often more interesting to play,” says the actor who played the well-meaning Constable George Garfield in The Bill for 10 years. “You have to try to find something to...

An Indiegogo page has just been opened for the latest Bill Hutchens directed venture, "The Last Daves", starring Dylan Llewellyn, best known from TV's "Hollyoaks", "Hollyoaks Later", "The Bill" and "Holby City" The director himself is aswell very wellknown for his acting in films such as "The Human Centipede 2+3", "Reyes" and "Your Flesh, Your Curse". Hutchens himself also star in the film, along with Iulia Verdes, Nadine Hanwell, Scott Hinds, Francesca Pellegrin Directors Statement We live in a world where we have all the tools (eg nuclear and chemical weapons) of our own destruction. Combine that with man's ego, greed, conflicting ideologies and our seemingly inherent need to fight, and even the most optimistic amongst us are fearful that some kind of devastating event...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Alison Bell, Kodie Bedford and Niki Aken.

Screen Australia has announced it will support a delegation of 13 creatives to travel to New York in March to attend the Australian International Screen Forum and participate in professional development and networking opportunities.

“There is an increasing appetite for Australian stories in the USA, most recently evident at the Sundance Film Festival where our films were making substantial sales,” said Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason.

“Talent USA is an important opportunity to showcase and promote some of our best creative talent to the North American market and help elevate their projects to be in the best position to compete and be seen internationally.

“Attending the Screen Forum will give these delegates an opportunity to hear from key Us players on latest trends, challenges and opportunities in the current global market. This year the Talent USA delegation will also benefit from the Forum’s ambassadors Deborra-Lee Furness,...

To celebrate the Home Entertainment release of the 2018’s most modern gangster thriller, King Of Crime, we have 2 DVD copies to give away, courtesy of Elevation Sales. King Of Crime is available to own on DVD and Digital Download on January 14th 2019.

Cybercrime and terrorism are some of the most prevalent issues of today, and King Of Crime’s bold look mirrors that modernism. The film sharply spotlights the topics at hand, and draws you into a world of deception and violence – a fresh voice within a recognisable genre. It does this, in part, with the familiar English aesthetic and that of a sleek style, for a cross-country affair of dangerous, dramatic thrills.

When Marcus King, Britain’s most notorious cybercriminal, finds himself at the mercy of some extremists, he knows it’s time to settle some old scores, play one of the biggest scams of his life, and defeat the terrorists.

Here’s the latest episode of the The Filmmakers Podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly. If you haven’t heard the show yet, you can check out previous episodes on the official podcast site, whilst we’ll be featuring each and every new episode as it premieres.

For those unfamiliar, with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors. They also shoot the breeze about their new films, The Dare, World of Darkness,...

There’s a scene in A Prayer Before Dawn, the film adaptation of Billy Moore’s prison memoir, in which the convict hits rock bottom. An Englishman incarcerated in a rough Thai jailhouse dubbed the “Bangkok Hilton,” he’s strung out on drugs and has nearly killed a man. Before Moore was a prisoner, however, he was a bare-knuckle brawler. So, in the hopes of finding a reason to stay alive, he visits the facility’s gym and pleads his case to the Muay Thai team’s skeptical trainer. “I want to box,...

1979:The Edge of Night's Louise attacked Paige.

1980: Gh's Luke & Laura spent the night in Wyndham's.

1987: Bold and Beautiful's Thorne considered a career move.

1993: Oltl's Nora made closing arguments in Todd's case."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1928: Real Folks from Thompkins Corner, one of the earliest documented radio serials, premiered on NBC.

1968: On Another World, Liz Matthews (Audra Lindley) cried to Bill and Missy that they would have been happier if she had died of her heart attack.

1968: On Dark Shadows, Victoria (Alexandra Moltke) recognized Adam (Robert Rodan), who took...

“Snowpiercer” has a new conductor behind the camera.

James Hawes has boarded TNT’s drama reboot series as co-executive producer and director and will be responsible for the planned pilot reshoots, a person with knowledge of the production tells TheWrap.

Hawes’ entry comes less than two weeks after the project’s original director, Scott Derrickson, exited the project due to a “radically different vision” from new showrunner Graeme Manson, who took over for creator Josh Friedman, who was fired from the series in January.

Also Read: Fired 'Snowpiercer' Showrunner Takes Aim at Successor on Twitter: 'Vichy Motherf--er'

“The 72-page Snowpiercer TV pilot script by @Josh_Friedman is the best I’ve ever read,” Derrickson tweeted on June 29. “The feature-length pilot I made from that script may be my best work. The new showrunner has a radically different vision for the show. I am forgoing my option to direct the extreme reshoots.

The “Snowpiercer” series at TNT has found its new director.

James Hawes has boarded the drama series as co-executive producer and director, Variety has learned exclusively, and will oversee reshoots on the show’s pilot.

Hawes joins the show less than two weeks after the pilot’s original director, Scott Derrickson, announced he would not return for the reshoots. Derrickson claimed that the decision was due to the “radically different vision” of the series’ new showrunner, Graeme Manson, from that of original showrunner and series creator Josh Friedman, who left the show in January.

“The 72-page Snowpiercer TV pilot script by @Josh_Friedman is the best I’ve ever read. The feature-length pilot I made from that script may be my best work. The new showrunner has a radically different vision for the show. I am forgoing my option to direct the extreme reshoots,” Derrickson tweeted on June 29.

Hawes joining...

Stars: Olivia Grant, Chiké Okonkwo, John Hannah, Warren Brown, Ed Stoppard, Ben Shafik, Rick Warden, William Snape, Wendy Glenn, Stefano Braschi, Amrita Acharia, Paul Nicholls | Written and Directed by Freddie Hutton-Mills, Bart Ruspoli

While attending McM London Comic Con back in May we went to as many panels as possible. We got to check out the creators of a Scottish based web series called Cops and Monsters, who were kicking off there crowdfund that weekend. Monkey Tennis Podcast were recording a live show. We checked out Dark Rising, a new upcoming superhero show with a real difference. There was also the panel for Night Shooters, which looked like a great martial arts/comedy flick. And then there was this, Genesis. We were immediately intrigued because, well lets not mess about, John Hannah is in the movie and that for me warranted checking out the panel. John Hannah is fantastic British actor that you always know,...

Stars: Matt Hookings, Olwen Catherine Kelly, Hannah Waddingham, Michael McKell, Justin McDonald, Alan Ford, Ian Pirie, Noeleen Comiskey, Claudia Archer, Ella Road, Liana Harris | Written by Ross Owen Williams | Directed by Dom Lenoir

Winter Ridge is rapidly becoming the little British movie that could! Having all ready picked up a bunch of awards on the circuit, The movie, its director Dom Lenoir, and cast are about to embark on a strong festival run through 2018 that will undoubtedly see the movie picking up more awards and critical acclaim… making the lads at British production company Camelot Films and up-and-coming powerhouse performer Matt Hookings, ones to watch.

Winter Ridge opens really strong with the harrowing sound of a car crash (props to the sound guy). You have no time to prepare for the story that is coming your way, instead the audience is just thrown in at the proverbial deep end. We...

Shane's Inspiration, the global leader in creating inclusive playgrounds and educational programs for children with disabilities, is hosting its 20th Anniversary gala on Saturday, March 10, 2018 at the beautiful Vibiana in Downtown Los Angeles.

Guests will be grooving all night long with live performances presented by one of America’s favorite dancers, Emmy-nominated choreographer Dmitry Chaplin, who will be joined by his friends from “Dancing With The Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance”.

Celebrating the opening of 70 inclusive playgrounds worldwide, the festivities will recall the retro chic style of the 70s with a “Boogie Wonderland” theme, featuring live musical entertainment performed by The Boogie Knights. Also performing is X-Factor’s Emmanuel Kelly, who will receive the Trailblazer Award for overcoming severe obstacles to pursue his dream of becoming the world’s first differently-abled pop star.

This star-studded evening of dance and philanthropy will honor other prominent advocates in the special needs community,...

The cast and crew of The Bill filmed the show's last ever scenes yesterday, bringing the ITV police drama to a close after 27 years. All 17 of the programme's main cast members were present for the final day of filming at Merton Studios in South West London, The Sun reports. In a statement, The Bill's executive producer Johnathan Young said: "It's been a highly emotional day for all cast and crew." The long-running (more)...

Actor Mark Wingett has claimed that The Bill's move into a post-watershed slot last year was an "unwise decision". The star, who played PC Jim Carver in the police procedural drama, also said that the lack of promotion during the revamp may have hurt the ITV1 show. "I think moving the slot was an unwise decision. It kind of got lost. Also it wasn't promoted in a very good way - the big soaps get loads and loads of promotion. And I think the audience has changed," he told the BBC. Wingett, who was the main focus of the programme's pilot Woodentop in 1983 and starred in the series for a further 21 years, (more)...

The Bill cast and crew were left in "stunned disbelief" yesterday after being told to go home as the show was 'all over'. ITV bosses confirmed that the £30m-a-year soap would be axed this autumn due to a massive slump in viewers. Early morning calls were made to the cast and crew to break the news, with those due on set told to take the day off. A senior member of The Bill "family" told The Sun that he was already at the studio when he heard the news. "We were setting up for filming when a guy from the props department came down and told us simply, 'It's over - we're all out of work'." Show producer Talkback has entered into a 30-day consultation with staff. Trudie Goodwin, who played Sun Hill's June Ackland for the show's entire (more)...

ITV has confirmed that it is dropping police drama The Bill after 27 years on air. According to The Guardian, the decision comes after last year's revamp and move to a 9pm slot failed to alter sliding ratings. The show, which is based in fictional station Sun Hill, switched from two weekly shows at 8pm to a single 9pm episode last July. It was the first time that the programme had aired in a post-watershed slot, which encouraged "darker, grittier and more hard-hitting" storylines. However, ratings fell to an average of 3.5 million, a significant drop from the 7 million who tuned in in 2002. It currently employs 19 main cast members, including Simon Rouse (Di Jack Meadows), Alex Walkinshaw (Inspector Dale 'Smithy' Smith) and DS Stevie Moss (Lucy Speed). The broadcaster claimed that the decision (more)...

A team of cast members from The Bill have taken part in a mile-long run around the drama's Sun Hill police station for Sport Relief. Alex Walkinshaw (Dale Smith), Sam Callis (Callum Stone), Micah Balfour (Benjamin Gayle) and Ben Richards (Nate Roberts) were among the stars who pounded the pavements surrounding the station in order to encourage the public to participate in a Sport Relief Mile event later this month. John Bowler (Roger Valentine), Rhea Bailey (Mel Ryder) and Jason Barnett (Eddie Olosunje) were also part of the team, whose efforts will be broadcast on BBC One's The Sport Relief Mile Show on March 21. Walkinshaw (more)...

La Roux singer Elly Jackson is planning to spend New Year's Eve (31.12.09) on holiday in the Caribbean. The pop star plans to see in 2010 in the tropical paradise with her family after enjoying a hugely successful 2009. Elly - whose mother is British actress Trudie Goodwin, who had a starring role in long-running UK police series 'The Bill' - said: "I'm going to be in the Caribbean over New Year with my family. "I'm taking them on holiday as a treat for all the years they've taken me on holiday - girlfriends and boyfriends as well. "We're all going to go for a nice few relaxing weeks, and I'm going to try and slow down and reflect on...

La Roux singer Elly Jackson has revealed that her actress mother Trudie Goodwin gave her advice on how to deal with fame. Goodwin, who has played June Ackland in ITV's The Bill for 23 years, offered her daughter tips on how to cope in the public eye before the duo rose to fame earlier this year. "She's really good at saying things like, 'Never have a drink when you do an interview' - which I don't always take notice of! And 'Only give away what you need to give away'," Jackson told Heat. "And she says that (more)...

La Roux singer Elly Jackson wants George Michael to be her dad. The 'Bulletproof' star admires the pop legend - who was arrested earlier this year following a car crash - so much she wishes she had grown up with him. She said: "I love George Michael. I want him to be my dad. Even the Land Rover incident just made him more endearing." Elly currently lives in South London with her mother - actress Trudie Goodwin, who is famous for playing Sergeant June Ackland in UK TV police drama 'The Bill' - and insists she would rather "live in a bin" than move anywhere else. She added: "Move? I'd rather live in a bin. I've got four really close...

The Bill's longest-serving cast member Graham Cole has blasted the decision to axe him from the show. In June, bosses confirmed that the 57-year-old's character PC Tony Stamp was being dropped after nearly 22 years. Series producer Tim Key later insisted that the veteran is simply being "rested". News of the star's departure came following confirmation of the ITV1 programme's revamp as a post-watershed drama airing just once a week. Reflecting on his exit, Cole told The Mirror: "As the longest-serving actor, I was one of the biggest earners and it's no secret that costs had to be cut. "But I've spent nearly half my life on that show. What hurts the most is being axed after all that time so quickly. They've just thrown it all away - bye, you're out the door. (more)...

The Bill's series producer Tim Key has insisted that Sun Hill veteran PC Tony Stamp is simply 'being rested' and will not be killed off when he bows out of the show later this year. Last month, Digital Spy exclusively revealed that actor Graham Cole's character had been axed from the series after 22 years. The news came only weeks before The Bill's announcement that it was to switch to a weekly, post-watershed transmission. Speaking of the decision to rest Stamp, the show's series producer Tim Key told Digital Spy: "The thing with Tony is that we knew it would be a very difficult move for a lot of people. We are hugely respectful of Graham and he's one of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet. We have every respect for (more)...

ITV police drama The Bill makes its highly-anticipated move to its new 9pm home on Thursday, July 23 following a complete channel overhaul. As part of the relaunch, producers have revamped the theme music and credits, introduced a specially-composed score for the episodes and have re-focused the show on character-driven stories. Last week, Digital Spy caught up with the show's series producer Tim Key to chat about the origins of the drama's facelift, the process its been through, what viewers can expect from the 9pm episodes and his thoughts on Graham Cole's departure. How did the reinvention of The Bill come about?

"It came about partly because of the way the industry is at the moment. Everywhere is having to look at its schedule and budget so much more tightly. ITV in particular was looking at its schedule very carefully and because it had (more)...

The Bill star Simon Rouse has claimed that the show does not need to compete with Us crime drama CSI. Speaking to What's On TV, Rouse - Jack Meadows on the ITV1 cop drama - said that The Bill's new post-watershed timeslot does not mean that the two programmes are now in competition. "Why do we want to compete with them? I love American shows but they are very different people, (more)...

The Bill's current longest-serving character PC Tony Stamp has been axed from the series after nearly 22 years, Digital Spy can confirm. Graham Cole - who made his first appearance as Tony in September 1987 - will leave the long-running series later this year after producers decided that the police officer "doesn't fit" the show's "new 'dynamic'". In an email to fan site Stampers, Cole said: "How do I tell you this? As my official website, I have to inform the 'Stampers' the management have decided that PC Tony Stamp will not be a part of the new nine o'clock show. He continued: "I cannot tell you how disappointed and disregarded I feel. Tony has been a wonderful character to play. They say he doesn't fit the new 'dynamic' so I have to be out of the programme before the big relaunch (more)...

The Bill star Alex Walkinshaw has revealed that he dreams of landing a part in EastEnders. Alex, who plays Sgt Dale Smith on the ITV1 show, confirmed that he would love to be offered a role in Albert Square. Walkinshaw also praised the performance of his former co-star Scott Maslen on the BBC One soap. Maslen played Sun Hill's DS Phil Hunter for five years (more)...

ITV police drama The Bill is to join forces with its German cop show counterpart Soko Leipzig to mark the show's 25th anniversary. The shows' production houses - talkbackTHAMES and Ufa Fernsehproduktion - will co-produce the venture, creating footage for their respective programmes, while at the same time utilising characters from both. The storyline begins when an 18-year-old German girl called Charlotte (Anna-Maria Mühe) is kidnapped on British soil. Dci Jack Meadows (Simon Rouse) heads up the manhunt with his German equivalent - and godfather of the kidnap victim - Detective Chief Superintendent Hajo Trautzschke (Andreas Schmidt-Schaller). Sun Hill detectives DC Terry Perkins (Bruce Byron), DC Mickey Webb (Chris Simmons) and DC Kezia Walker (Cat Simmons) will also feature in the cross-border filming. The Bill's executive producer (more)...

Former Coronation Street actor Rupert Hill is to guest star in The Bill.

The 29-year-old, who played Jamie Baldwin in the ITV1 soap, will appear in the upcoming four-part special 'Gun Runner'.

He will take the role of Kieran Wallace, a dangerous thug who is part of a gun-running gang which Sergeant Smithy (Alex Walkinshaw) must infiltrate in a bid to take guns off the streets.

He said: "It . . .